Canadian Gardeners Can Finally Go 100% Peat-Free This Spring
TORONTO, ON – Peat moss and global warming go hand-in-hand. Many consumers visit local retailers each spring to purchase soil enriching products for their gardens and lawns. Unfortunately it is little-known that the main ingredient of these products, peat moss, is one of the worst choices consumers can make when trying to be environmentally conscious.
What makes the use of peat moss unsustainable?
- Peat Bogs are carbon sinks; the harvesting of peat moss releases CO2, promoting global warming.
- Peat moss compromises ecological systems that filter 10% of the world’s fresh water.
- Peat bogs are home to many important floral, fauna and animal species.
- A typical peat extractor will take up to 22cm of peat per year; peat grows at a rate of 1mm/year.
- The Royal Horticultural Society in the U.K. has mandated that 90% of its own growing media
requirements be peat-free by 2010.
What is a viable alternative to using peat? Coconut coir!
- Coir works like thousands of mini natural sponges absorbing water and releasing it to plants as needed.
- Coir retains more water than peat moss, significantly reducing watering requirements.
- Coir is 100% organic.
- Coir is pH neutral.
PlantBest also values a fair-trade business model, maintaining most purchasing and manufacturing activities in the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam where it operates. The goal is to keep the majority of the economic value of PlantBest‘s activities in the hands of subsistence coconut farmers and the company’s Vietnamese employees.
Ultimately, PlantBest is helping a developing region reap the economic benefits of a previously wasted byproduct of the local coconut harvest transforming into a line of award-winning, eco-friendly garden and outdoor products.
The bottom line – PlantBest offers consumers a high-performing, high-value, 100% environmentally sustainable replacement for peat moss.
For more information and to view PlantBest‘s entire suite of products visit www.plantbest.com.
Contact Patsy Moss patsym@plantbest.com for more facts about PlantBest and pictures of products. Â
Alternate Contact: Thijs Millenaar at 905-470-0724 x 359 or email: thijsm@plantbest.com